Zeniths of MSU Research this Spring

Terrie Taylor and her team conducted a groundbreaking study on malaria.

Zeniths of MSU Research this Spring

June 4, 2015

Promising Alzheimer’s treatment moves toward clinical trials

Withanamides, a botanical compound patented by MSU through the work of natural products chemist and horticulture professor Muraleedharan Nair and his team, may prevent Alzheimer’s at an early stage and is moving toward clinical trials. To date, no major pharmaceutical company has been able to develop an effective Alzheimer’s treatment that passed human clinical trials.

Self-powered sensors to keep structures standing

MSU engineering researchers are developing a new technology for building substrates that will allow a structure, such as a bridge or skyscraper, to sense a defect before it happens, diagnose the problem and alert the authorities—all using energy harvested from the structure itself.

Improving science learning

An MSU professor created a successful model for teaching middle- and high-school students about carbon cycling, the primary driver of climate change. Now, Charles W. (Andy) Anderson and partners are using a nearly $7 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help America’s teachers put the program into action.

Discovery of how malaria kills children will lead to life-saving treatments

In a groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, MSU’s osteopathic physician Terrie Taylor and her team discovered that brain swelling and compression on the brain stem is what causes death in children with cerebral malaria. This discovery enables the development of more effective treatments that will save children’s lives.

For more information on making a gift to MSU’s research mission, contact University Advancement at univdev@msu.edu or by calling (517) 884-1000 or toll-free (800) 232-4MSU.